PTYS Chapter 84

Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian were a bit confused when they heard this. “What do you mean by ‘hide low, not high’?”

“I just suddenly thought, Luo Zihao has been dead for over ten hours, so his body should be stiff by now. If the system mentions the posture of the dead, then bending over should be difficult for him. This is just a hypothesis, but it’s always good to be cautious.”

Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian felt this made sense. Even if it was wrong, it didn’t matter much.

“89!” Time was running out. Shen Qingqiu glanced at Xiao Muyu. “Have you decided where to hide?”

Xiao Muyu’s expression was calm as she looked at the map in the group chat, then pointed to a spot.

Shen Qingqiu was slightly stunned but then smiled. “Why do we always think alike, Muyu?”

But Xiao Muyu seemed to realize something. She frowned, reached out to touch Shen Qingqiu’s waist, and felt the bandage still there.

Shen Qingqiu grabbed her hand, understanding her intention, and whispered, “It’s okay, we can’t waste any time.”

Then Shen Qingqiu pulled Xiao Muyu, avoiding the streetlights, and quietly made their way to the artificial lake through the trees and bushes.

Above the lake, there was a pavilion, with a small part exposed above the water. They could hide there.

The water was cold, but they had no choice. Both were agile and quietly slipped under the pavilion.

The pavilion’s base was elevated, and the gap was just enough for them to breathe above the water.

The water had not yet settled when the count reached one hundred.

“Time’s up. I’m coming to find you,” the voice in the broadcast sounded gleeful, seemingly enjoying this.

After this, there was a thumping sound from the broadcast room, which then fell silent.

What was that noise?

Xiao Muyu sensed something was wrong and typed a message in the group chat.

Not only her, but Su Jin and the others also felt something was off.

Su Jin: “It sounded like something hitting the ground, dull and heavy.”

Zuo Tiantian: “If he’s coming to find us, he should leave the broadcast room, so there should be footsteps.”

Shen Qingqiu’s heart sank, and she immediately looked at Xiao Muyu, who also appeared horrified.

That was definitely not the sound of footsteps; no one’s footsteps would be so heavy and dense, like…

Shen Qingqiu quickly typed a message, then pushed Xiao Muyu’s head under the water.

On the other side, Su Jin and Zuo Tiantian saw Shen Qingqiu’s message and their faces turned pale.

They quickly climbed out of the library management room’s cabinet and directly onto the top of the cabinet.

Thump, thump.

The sound came again, this time eerie and floating, echoing throughout the school.

They couldn’t hold their breath for too long. Hearing the sound was still far away, Shen Qingqiu slightly lifted Xiao Muyu to let her catch a breath, moving so lightly that only slight ripples appeared in the water.

The night obscured their vision, and Xiao Muyu couldn’t see what was happening outside through the water and the lakeshore.

She was extremely tense, realizing that their chosen hiding spot was very disadvantageous. It was her mistake. She should have considered Luo Zihao’s posture as a corpse!

Luo Zihao’s voice continued to drift through the school, repeatedly asking, “Where are you hiding? Under the dorm bed, or the classroom desk, the gymnasium, the library?” With each place he mentioned, those hiding there were terrified, some nearly crying.

Time passed minute by minute. During this period, Luo Zihao passed by the artificial lake three times. Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu noticed that his movement speed was almost three times faster than a normal person. In this large campus, he could search every place in less than ten minutes.

Xiao Muyu felt increasingly anxious. At this speed, even searching one by one, he would definitely find someone within half an hour.

But so far, no one had been found. She suspected it wasn’t that he couldn’t find them, but he hadn’t found what he wanted.

Suddenly, the thumping sound grew closer. Xiao Muyu held her breath and glanced at the shore, almost losing her rhythm. She saw Luo Zihao and confirmed their guess.

The boy who fell from the building had his spine and legs broken. They were partially repaired for burial, but now his body was unnaturally twisted.

His right leg’s broken bone protruded, swinging with his movements.

His head, crushed as if with a spring, thumped on the ground repeatedly.

Luo Zihao wasn’t walking on his feet!

He was bouncing on his head, making that thumping sound each time.

The posture of the dead was his death posture. Luo Zihao had landed headfirst, so he moved by bouncing on his head!

The upside-down corpse began to wander around the lake, making sniffing sounds with his nose.

Thump, thump.

Luo Zihao stood under a streetlight by the lake, the light casting his figure clearly.

But the two in the water didn’t dare make a sound, hiding completely underwater, unable to see or make any movements, judging only by subtle sounds.

The water blocked light and muffled sound, making the thumping even duller.

Suddenly, the movements above them grew louder.

Thump, thump. The noise was accompanied by slight ripples in the lake.

Luo Zihao was jumping on the pavilion above them!

“Is someone hiding in the pavilion?” He laughed, hopping back and forth in the pavilion.

Too much time had passed, and it was unclear how long he would stay. Shen Qingqiu worried Xiao Muyu couldn’t hold her breath, lightly touching her palm.

Xiao Muyu understood, and both subtly lifted their heads to barely expose their noses, breathing lightly and slowly.

Drip, drip!

As they were about to submerge again, drops of liquid fell onto the water’s surface, indistinguishable in the dark, but both Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu knew what it was.

With his heightened sense of smell, Xiao Muyu felt nauseated.

Yet he wouldn’t leave, continuing to jump above. Finding nothing in the pavilion, he moved to the shore, trying to look into the pavilion.

Circling the pavilion without finding anything, he grew increasingly frantic.

“I found you, come out! Ha ha.” He laughed and screamed towards the pavilion, eyes bulging as if they would fall out.

“Two people, I only need to find one. Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu, aren’t you coming out?”

The more he spoke, the more terrified Xiao Muyu felt, confirming that she or Shen Qingqiu was the next target.

In this game, students like them were prey, but the hunter already had a target in mind.

What frightened Xiao Muyu was that this was the first ghost in these scenarios using human nature against them.

His words were clearly meant to scare and force them to reveal themselves or turn on each other.

Because once one person was found, the game would be over!

Underwater, Shen Qingqiu gently squeezed Xiao Muyu’s hand, signaling to her. Xiao Muyu understood and subtly pulled back, communicating without words.

Shen Qingqiu felt a surge of warmth. She never saw herself as a protector, more a destroyer. But meeting Xiao Muyu, she instinctively wanted to protect her. Initially to build a relationship, now she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t bear to see her hurt.

Time passed slowly. Luo Zihao, unable to find traces of the two, remained by the pavilion, frantic and nearly insane, making guttural sounds.

“Come out, come out! Why can’t I find you? Why can’t I find you? Waaa.” He jumped wildly, then suddenly fell silent.

Luo Zihao, who had been looking up, stopped. His eyes rolled down, locking onto the pavilion below.

He hopped closer, staring at the water. “In the water?”

Xiao Muyu and Shen Qingqiu’s faces changed, their hearts racing.

An increased heartbeat meant more oxygen consumption. If they hadn’t just taken a breath during his outburst, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.

Strangely, although Luo Zihao suspected they were in the water, he didn’t jump in, instead hovering over the surface.

This was their only relief. Otherwise, they couldn’t have avoided him.

Seeing him staring at the water for so long without moving, unable to see anyone, Luo Zihao grew furious.

But he kept jumping, testing the water with his stiff arms, yet hesitating to submerge his head.

Clearly, having been dead for only a few hours, he still had human fears. This was their small blessing, but Xiao Muyu was at her limit. Her accelerated heartbeat had forcibly slowed, her body barely under control, only her strong will keeping her from breathing deeply.

Shen Qingqiu, holding Xiao Muyu, felt her stiffness from lack of oxygen.

She knew ordinary people could hold their breath for about two minutes underwater.

With training, some could last three to four minutes. In such tension, Xiao Muyu lasting four minutes was incredible.

So after two minutes, Shen Qingqiu had gradually moved closer, now nearly face-to-face, sensing Xiao Muyu’s struggle.

She lightly pressed Xiao Muyu’s back, turning her face, and transferred her breath to Xiao Muyu.

Afraid of creating too many bubbles, Shen Qingqiu pressed tightly, their lips sealed together.

Xiao Muyu, unable to control her instincts, squeezed Shen Qingqiu’s hand and took a breath, then restrained herself from taking more.

They remained underwater for two more minutes. Luo Zihao didn’t seem to leave, only moving less frantically but still not leaving.

Xiao Muyu wanted to surface, but Shen Qingqiu held her tighter, not letting her.

This time, they had to outlast him.

Luo Zihao, despite not leaving, didn’t seem to suspect anything either.

They couldn’t afford any mistakes in this scenario, especially in hiding. Luo Zihao was highly sensitive, and any mistake could be fatal.